New Democratic Rep Refutes Ocasio-Cortez: Country Not Ready for ‘Expensive’ Single-Payer Health Care

While appearing on CNN on Monday, Rep.-elect Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) seemed to highlight the trouble the Democratic caucus might have in finding unity with its newfound House majority.

Wexton discounted the ability to implement single-payer health care, a centralized form of health care in European countries and proposed as Medicare for All by politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“Are you concerned that your fellow incoming Democrats — like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or others who support it — do not have a good enough answer when it comes to how will you pay for it without raising taxes?” Harlow asked.

Watch the video below:

Wexton responded by calling Medicare for All an “expensive proposition” that the country wasn’t ready to implement.

“At this time, I don’t see a way to do it,” she added when Harlow asked about implementing the policy without raising taxes.

The policy proposal caught attention during the midterm election cycle when the Mercatus Center, a libertarian-leaning organization, released a study showing that it would ultimately save money but require higher taxation.

The Mercatus Center study indicates that the implementation of such a plan should be expected to increase federal spending by $32.6 trillion in its first 10 years. Funding this plan, which would increase federal health care costs by 10.7 percent of GDP, requires more than doubling all federal individual and corporate income tax receipts.

For reference, current total federal spending is $4.4 trillion per year, or 21 percent of GDP.

The study also assumes, given all factors, that providers would be required to accept Medicare reimbursement rates for all services. That rate presently affords those providers — hospitals and physicians alike — only about 60 percent of what they receive from private insurance.

The Mercatus study points out that at current reimbursement rates, 80 percent of hospitals will be losing money by 2019 paying Medicare reimbursement rates on existing patients. So, the rates would either have to increase substantially or timely access to care would be subjected to “significant disruptions,” a.k.a. much longer wait times.

Conservatives have long maintained that a single-payer system would both cost an enormous amount and likely result in rationed care.

According to Roll Call, congressional Democrats weren’t too keen on the idea, either. Most Democrats reportedly didn’t think the proposal was ready to face floor consideration and contained politically problematic provisions like the massive tax increases.

What do you think?

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I don’t fully agree with fully publically funded Medicare For All. I favor a single-payer, universal health care system that all working people and/or employers contribute proportionate to our income. How much governments also contribute is open for discussion. That way we all participate and support one system that covers… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Kenneth Waggoner

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Therein lies a problem with the whole medical establishment, should a service that is necessary for the health and well being of a person be subject to capitalism? A pill that treats cancer costs $100, but costs the pharmaceutical companies $5, is this right? No but that’s capitalism. A man… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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I’m curious. How do you obtain healthcare?

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3 months ago

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Kevin Mahoney

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Anyone, Democrats included, who think Medicare for all is expensive clearly doesn’t understand what it does and what it replaces. It replaces our current healthcare system with a single payer one which will be cheaper. Yes, your taxes will go up, but you will no longer be making any other… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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So you’ve lived under “single payer”? Or are you theorizing? Please share.

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3 months ago

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Phyllis Softa

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I am 67 yrs old and have been on Medicare for 2 yrs. A Medicare premium is deducted from my SS payments. In addition, I have a Highmark Blue Shield plan for the 20% Medicare does not pay, prescription coverage, vision and dental coverage. When you folks are speaking of… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Marco Spinelli

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For decades doctors and other healthcare providers have either refused or limited Medicaid/Medicare recipients. It adds to the overhead and at a discount to their usual rates. Bottomline: it’s NOT good business for them. I know at least four physicians who’ve retired as a result of Obozocare. It’s nice that… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Marco Spinelli

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Read & learn, although that seems implausible given your infantile way with words (‘Obozocare’|’Obamacare’). It’s neither clever nor smart; it makes any & all opinions you share, that you wish to be taken seriously, automatically dismissed. Shorter version: You come off as a FoxNews bot, an ignorant clown who should… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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Marco, I normally wouldn’t dignify your rantings but here you’ll be an example. 1. The real name is the Affordable Care Act. It’s hypocritical of you to criticize my use of a nickname then do exactly the same. 2. No real discussion comes by attacking the person and not the… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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4. Throwing links is neither an argument nor a defense of one’s beliefs. It’s okay if one is citing sources, but using it AS your argument is lazy and says ONLY that you’re as smart enough to cut & paste. Read & learn yourself. You present ZERO counter-arguments of your… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Kevin Mahoney

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Lol you ask for proof and then when someone provides it you ignore it. You are the definition of a wilfully ignorant and incredibly stupid individual. Not to mention childish.

You dish it out but can’t take it in. Pathetic weasle.

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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I’m asking for someone to actually hold a discussion like a rational adult AND in their own words. Since you resort to name-calling instead of reason, a TRULY childish AND stupid tactic I’ll treat you as such. FYI, it’s “weasel” and “willfuly”, you pinhead. Thanks for playing.

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3 months ago

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Phyllis Softa

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Kevin, when providing info to substantiate your assertions, keep in mind that a long & short form BC, authenticated by a Republican governor, was not enough proof to convince the Trumpsters that Obama was born in Hawaii. Actual facts threaten to derail their ignorance , therefore they are compelled to… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Kevin Mahoney

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Hard numbers have been provided, you just don’t want to read them. Look at HR 676 and Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal. It’s all outlined there.

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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Why don’t you regurgitate those. People with lives don’t have time to follow every link someone throws up because they are too lazy and stupid to actually say what they mean. Parroting.linking is niether smart NOR original. To paraphrase Marco, are you a CNN, Vox, Salon bot? One more thing,… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Kevin Mahoney

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Medicare does not add to overhead anymore than any other insurance provider. The fuck are you talking about. All “Obozocare” does is give people money to pay for private insurance. It has absolutely no effect on doctors. You don’t even understand the basic concepts of health insurance nor what the… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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Ever been on Medicare? I doubt you’re old enough. You probably mean Medicaid. Do you even know what you’re talking about? Are you a doctor? Do you do medical coding to recapture Medicaid expenses? Coders cost money, i.e. overhead, but I strongly suspect you’ve NEVER run a healthcare business or… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Phyllis Softa

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LOL, When did you think medical coding of claims began? I entered the medical field in the 1970’s and ICD coding was on version #8. Computerized medical records was promoted in the ACA, but computerized billing has been around for decades, not a decade.

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3 months ago

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Screwtape

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If, as YOU say, Obozocare was intended to provide insurance for those too stupid, poor, unlucky to pay themselves then explain WHY it was applied to everyone, except the government/unions, etc. Would it not have easier, cheaper, more effective to help those who actually needed it and leave everyone else… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Phyllis Softa

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What about the Grassley amendment? It assures govt employees are subject to the ACA regs. Senator Grassley does not remember it either. He incorrectly claimed no Republicans had input in the ACA, despite his membership on BOTH Senate Finance Com & the Gang of 6. If anyone earns greater than… Read more »

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3 months ago

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Phyllis Softa

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How old were the “at least 4 ” retired physicians? I live in SW PA, where UPMC & Highmark BS are battling each other for control of healthcare. They bought hospitals & doctor practices. For 4 yrs they were in litigation against each other as BS refused to pay for… Read more »